his estate, known as Campbell Cliffs,

is a monument to human comfort,

construction expertise, architectural

artistry, and high technology. The estate literally

springs from the rock and is sited on 20 acres in

the foothills of the Catalina Mountains, at the far

end of Cobblestone, Tucson, Arizona’s most

prestigious address. Built by a real estate

developer for his own family, Campbell Cliffs

blends effortlessly with the natural landscape;

its backyard is the Coronado National Forest

and the home sits dominant above the entire

Tucson valley. You can see forever from almost

every room and the decks – cliffs, canyons, city

lights, dramatic rock formations, and stately

Saguaro cacti.

Campbell Cliffs encompasses more than

31,000 square feet with 24 rooms, including a

dining room that can seat 300, a 3,000-square-

foot entertainment center, theater, gymnasium,

Inside Mega Dream Homes:

Cliffside Castle

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office wing, wine cellar, indoor gun/archery range,

multilevel pool area, and tennis court.

The home also has two elevators and state-of-the-art

lighting, security, and communications systems.

It took 2.5 years to design the home and seven

to construct it. The developer was Empire West

Companies, the architect was Les Wallach, FAIA, the

interior designer was Elizabeth Rosensteel Design

Studio, and the landscape architect was…Mother

Nature! In fact, the plants that were cleared away

when the home was being constructed were saved in a

nursery for seven years and then replanted.

The home offers a kaleidoscope of textures,

including Coconino sandstone from Northern Arizona,

Step-stone tile from California, wood ceiling paneling of

vertical grain Douglas fir from the old growth coastal

forests of Washington state, and a variety of concrete –

broken rib, smooth exposed, and sandblasted.

Opposite page: The formal living room has a sculptural steelfireplace that divides the living room from the dining room.The fireplace burns black sand instead of logs, giving off a“burning desert” effect. At left, the 65-foot art wall is madeof poured-in-place concrete texturized with a hammer andchisel. The extensive art collection shows at its best thanks toskylights and direct lighting. The ceiling is made of C-SelectDouglas Fir and was produced in a Northwest specialty mill.The wood divider also was constructed of Douglas Fir. Atright, the wall is made of Coconino sandstone from NorthernArizona. The 80-pound blocks are used extensively in thehome’s interior and exterior. Master mason Cuong Truongworked on the sandstone projects for seven years.

Top: The tables in the foreground of the activity room aremade of Douglas Fir. Master cabinetmaker Elliott Price madethe curved wall on the left from Honduran mahogany. Thiswall can be opened to a home theater. The wall just beyondthe table and chairs was unrolled from a single log ofDouglas Fir so that it perfectly matches both horizontally andvertically. This wall has a hidden space for pool cues. Eachpiece of the custom-made leather couch is articulated sothat you can reshape it and twist it like a Slinky. The couchrests on a stainless steel fin.

Left: The kitchen features a Labradorite stone countertopwith splashes of black, white, silver, and even blue. Thekitchen and pantry include two Dacor ovens, five sinks, aScotsman commercial ice maker, a 40-cubic-foot Sub-Zerorefrigerator, 60 cubic feet of freezer space, and an eight-burner Viking stone.

Below: A marvel of engineering, the pool area, like thehome itself, offers spectacular views north to the cliffs and south and west to the city of Tucson. The pool is lined with soft cobalt-blue tile and surrounded by hand-setsandblasted stone finished to reduce heat transfer. Beyondthe pool and spillway there’s a 12-person jetted spa.

Right: The master bedroom wingincludes three sitting areas, his-and-her lavatories, two-personjetted tub, deluge shower withunlimited hot water, and customdual closets. This is the “his”side of the master bath. Thewhite maple cabinets were builton a curve to match the curvedwall behind them. The floor isheated and, since this home is inthe desert, there’s a chiller underthe sink for instant access to ice-cold water. This wing offersdecks off both its north andsouth side and a hidden stairwellleads to the private, 600-square-foot sundeck.

Right: Two custom-made wenge wood tables,one that will seat six and the other eight, canbe put together for larger dinners. Eachdrawer in the built-in buffet can hold up to300 pounds of china and other dinnerware.The soffit above not only has regular lightingbut also a tract that will accept heat lamps sothe buffet can be used to keep foods warm.

Below: This is the reverse angle of themahogany wall in the activity room. At right,the sunken bar allows the bartender to be ateye level with the guests. The bar is made ofsculptural steel and black granite. The 24x24-inch concrete tiles were cast to the owner’sspecifications at a Los Angeles plant andmake up most of the floor material both inthe interior and exterior of the home. In thebackground you can see some of the estate’s8,000 square feet of dual-pane safety glassthat doesn’t transfer heat.

Story by Jacqueline Shannon. Photos byRobert Reck and Thomas Bliss.

For more details about this house andother mega estates, go to:

WWW.MEGADREAMHOMES.COM

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